Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was placed on the 10-day injured list Thursday with irritation in his surgically repaired left knee.
Pedroia came out of Wednesday night's loss to the Yankees after 1½ innings and was examined in New York rather than traveling with the team to Tampa Bay.
Pedroia, 35, missed all but three games last season while rehabbing the knee after having cartilage restoration surgery following the 2017 season.
"He felt a pop, I think he said, yesterday," Dave Dombrowski, the team's president of baseball operations, said on WEEI radio Thursday. "As we know, the knee is never going to be 100 percent. It's amazing that any player can play with what he's gone through."
Pedroia began the season on the injured list with left knee inflammation. He was activated April 9 for the Red Sox's first homestand and is 2-for-20 at the plate.
The Red Sox called up right-handed pitcher Marcus Walden from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Pedroia's place on the roster.
The reeling Red Sox, 6-13 after a two-game sweep by the Yankees, open a three-game series against the East-leading Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field on Friday.
NEW YORK -- The Yankees have suspended the use of Kate Smith's recording of "God Bless America" during the seventh-inning stretch while they investigate an allegation of racism against the late singer.
The New York Daily News reported Thursday there are conflicting claims about Smith's 1939 song "That's Why Darkies Were Born." The song originated in the 1931 Broadway revue "George White's Scandals" and was considered satire, but includes racist language. It was recorded by Smith and also by Paul Robeson, who was black.
The team said in a statement: "The Yankees have been made aware of a recording that had been previously unknown to us and decided to immediately and carefully review this new information. The Yankees take social, racial and cultural insensitivities very seriously. And while no final conclusions have been made, we are erring on the side of sensitivity."
Smith died in 1986. The Yankees have used her recording of "God Bless America" and sometimes live singers during the seventh inning since the 9/11 terrorist attacks. They used an organ version of the song on Wednesday and Thursday.
To protect their privacy, pro athletes have long been known to use bogus names when checking into hotels. But bogus jobs? Yep, that's a thing, too. As much as Americans love talking about work, the guys who play the American pastime for a living would rather not talk about it. Like, ever.
In the spirit of true journalism (and nosiness), we canvassed MLB clubhouses to find some of the game's go-to counterfeit careers.
Kevin Gausman, Atlanta Braves: I'm a blimp folder. I just fly around with the pilot and make sure to type in the right things. Sometimes we'll have football games, and you have to type in "Go Patriots" or "There's free Bud Light after the game," and then we land, and we deflate the blimp, and I start folding. It takes a long time. Usually a couple of hours, but I try to get it done pretty quick. People always assume that someone's telling the truth, especially when they first meet you and ask what you do. They don't think that you're lying. So a lot of people just go with it. They don't think of the fact that there's no way a blimp ever gets folded. I guess people just aren't that smart.
Patrick Corbin, Washington Nationals: When I was with the Diamondbacks, a good one was an air-conditioning company called Air-izona. We were in business selling air conditioners. T.J. McFarland does a good job with that. We would just let him take off with it and see what happens. Once, we went to the hotel in Pittsburgh, and we all had our jumpsuits on, and he said we were a professional cornhole team. That was pretty strange because there were about 60 of us walking in, and only two people can play cornhole at a time. But the lady didn't pick up on it. She didn't believe there was professional cornhole, but we convinced her there was. It has been on ESPN before, so I'm guessing that's professional.
"There can't be that much to know about manufacturing football pylons, right?" Yankees reliever Zack Britton
Khris Davis, Oakland A's: I tell them I work at Foot Locker. I wouldn't pick a profession that I don't know anything about. I know a little something about shoes. Usually if I use that story, I'm on vacation or somewhere I don't want to be known. Nobody really cares about a shoe salesman, so the conversation doesn't last long.
J.T. Realmuto, Philadelphia Phillies: The latest one I used was after I got a scratch on my nose sliding into home plate. Nice little wound. A couple of days later, somebody asked me what I do for a living. I said I was an amateur boxer. Nothing big, just kind of a small-name guy. He bought it, but I didn't have to go too far into detail because once I said I was a small-time amateur, he didn't really care. If people really are fans of baseball, you can tell the ones you don't want to have that conversation with. And this guy was one of the people I didn't feel like talking to for three hours about baseball. If they're not a fan, they'll just say, "Cool. You play baseball -- big deal." But if it's a huge baseball fan, they'll start asking all types of questions.
Corey Dickerson, Pittsburgh Pirates: Where I'm from, in Mississippi, a lot of guys are in the oil field. So I tell them I'm an E-line operator that runs explosives. That's what my brother does. He started at a young age and worked his way up from deckhand to supervisor to E-line operator, out on the water in the Gulf. When they close down a drill, they run explosives down the pipe and basically blow it up. I guess you don't want a standing drill pipe. Instead of it being stuck in the ground and you can't get the rest of it out, they blow it up and disconnect it.
Justin Upton, Los Angeles Angels: Financial guy. My firm is based out of Los Angeles. We work with athletes and actors and actresses. I start spitballing from there. I've never been caught. Nobody ever recognizes me. They're like, "You look familiar." And I'm like, "I get that all the time." Usually it ends right there. They've gone as far as saying, "You look like Justin Upton." And I go, "Yeah, I get that all the time. I do look like him."
Mike Zunino, Tampa Bay Rays: I tell people I work in construction. My father-in-law is a contractor, so I've learned stuff through him, and it's a good alias. We've done flooring together. We've done some woodworking. Once we bought our home and started doing stuff like that, I leaned on him to teach me so that we weren't always bringing over a handyman to do it. I built and mounted some floating shelves for my son's room. You see something come from nothing, and it's pretty cool. The biggest fear is that you run into somebody else that does the same thing, and now you're like, "Oh crap, now I've really got to answer some questions here." If that happens, you fake a phone call and hope you never see that person again.
Zack Britton, New York Yankees: I was out with my cousin one time and got to talking to some people, and inevitably someone asked what we do. We just didn't feel like bringing up the whole baseball thing, so my cousin told him that we were football pylon manufacturers. First, he was like, "What's that?" There happened to be a football game on, so we're like, "See the thing at the goal line? Those are pylons." He was like, "What? That's a business?" There can't be that much to know about manufacturing football pylons, right? We kind of just rolled with it, and the guy lost interest immediately. It's not a conversation starter -- it's a conversation ender. And that's kind of the whole point.
Great Britain face Kazakhstan in a Fed Cup World Group II play-off this weekend in London.
Victory in the best-of-five tie would promote Anne Keothavong's team to the World Group for the first time in 26 years.
British actor Sacha Baron Cohen brought Kazakhstan publicity many in the country did not welcome with his Borat film and TV character. But how much do you know about the nation that used to be part of the Soviet Union?
British number one Johanna Konta is hoping for more of the home-crowd energy that pulled her back from the brink of exhaustion in their last tie when GB seek Fed Cup promotion this weekend.
Britain face Kazakhstan in a best-of-five play-off at London's Copper Box Arena, with Konta and her team-mates hoping to end a 26-year wait for promotion to Fed Cup World Group II.
It is the fifth time in eight years Britain have reached the play-offs and every previous tie has been away from home, with defeats keeping them in the third tier of women's team tennis.
This year they earned their place with victory in February's round-robin event in Bath, where Konta battled fatigue and needed to be helped to her feet at the end of her match in the decisive win against Serbia.
"The home support lends you energy when you need it," Konta, 27, told BBC Sport.
"You really feed off their emotions and their desires for you. It is also the team you have behind you."
Konta's world ranking has dropped from 23 to 46 in the past 12 months but she made changes to her coaching team in November and reaped the rewards with a determined performance in Bath.
"Overall, I feel good about the work I am putting in with my own team," she said. "I am enjoying my tennis and enjoying my life so it's a good position to be in."
GB captain Anne Keothavong has named the country's top five players in her team, with Konta and British number two Katie Boulter expected to feature in the singles.
There are two singles rubbers on Saturday (from 13:30 BST), with two reverse singles and a doubles match on Sunday (from 12:00).
If the tie is settled after three singles matches, the fourth singles is not played but the dead doubles rubber is. If the tie is settled after four singles, the dead doubles is also still played.
The teams are relatively evenly matched on paper with Kazakhstan led by world number 38 Yuliya Putintseva and Zarina Diyas, who is ranked 107th.
But Britain have a greater depth to their squad, with Heather Watson, Harriet Dart and Katie Swan all ranked in the top 200.
Kazakhstan, meanwhile, have named only four players, picking world number 372 Anna Danilina and doubles player Galina Voskoboeva in addition to Putintseva and Diyas.
A revamped Fed Cup Finals - featuring 12 teams - could be up and running as early as next April.
A win against Kazakhstan would almost certainly guarantee Britain's involvement in this new format.
This is the third consecutive year Great Britain have reached this stage, with last year's efforts ending in a heartbreaking 3-2 defeat by Japan after Konta and Watson had been a set up in the deciding doubles match.
"I'm sure eventually we will take our chance. We will give it our best," said Watson.
"We don't talk much about the past. We just talk about the future."
Watson, overtaken by Boulter as British number two earlier this year, will also want to put behind her the disappointment of missing February's Europe/Africa Zone round-robin event with flu.
"I was the most ill I've been in my life. It was dreadful," she said. "I had a temperature, I was vomiting, I was coughing - I even damaged a rib from coughing too much.
"I was there but I was bed-bound the whole time. I just hoped that each day I could get better so I could go and even just support. It was a shame because I have played in the Fed Cup for so many years and this was the first time it was at home. I was really sad to miss it.
"I will at least be courtside this time around and will hopefully get to play because that would be really special to play at home."
Boulter enjoyed a dream Fed Cup singles debut in Bath, winning all of her rubbers in a performance Konta described as "exceptional".
The 22-year-old now has her sights on improving her ranking and one day becoming British number one.
"It is great to have that healthy competition within the team," she told BBC Sport. "We are all fighting for that place and that chance to show that we are working hard to do the best that we can. It's good for Jo and it's good for Heather and all the other girls coming up."
Boulter says she was not fazed by the pressure of playing the opening match in every tie in Bath and wants to do the same in London.
"I am somebody who likes to get the crowd going and show emotion. I live for the big moments," she said. "Hopefully I can get a lot of support. It's a good start for everybody and it worked well in Bath so hopefully we can keep the winning formula."
With former men's world number one Andy Murray's retirement imminent, there will be a big gap to fill in British tennis.
And Keothavong believes there is an opportunity for her players to become strong role models like the three-time Grand Slam champion.
"The players we have on the Fed Cup team deserve the attention they get and more," she said. "They are not Grand Slam champions yet, like Andy, but there is lots of potential.
"There is the appetite for women's tennis and it's important we have strong role models in this country. Every member of the Fed Cup team can be a strong role model for any young tennis player aspiring to do what they are doing."
She also hopes playing a tie in her native east London, which has never hosted a Fed Cup or Davis Cup tie, will open up the sport to a new audience.
Konta agreed, adding: "We are all really looking forward to the fact we are playing at home again. We have not had to travel across the world at this time of the year, which is a new experience for us.
"It really does help you in tough situations."
Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal breezed into the Monte Carlo Masters quarter-finals, but Britain's Cameron Norrie could not progress from the last 16.
Top seed Djokovic, 31, needed just one hour and eight minutes to win 6-3 6-0 against American Taylor Fritz.
Second seed Nadal eased past Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov in a 6-4 6-1 win on the clay - having now won 23 consecutive sets at the Masters 1000 tournament.
Norrie lost 6-2 7-5 to Italian Lorenzo Sonego, ranked 40 places below him.
The British number two, who is set to rise into the top 50 next week, was broken four times and struggled to test Sonego's serve.
Norrie, 23, did break back when Sonego served for the match at 5-4, only to lose his serve in the next game as the Italian went on to seal victory with a hold to love.
Nadal, 32, encountered few problems against Dimitrov, who he has now beaten in 12 of their 13 meetings, as he continued to look dominant on his favoured surface.
Bidding for an unprecedented 12th title in the principality, the French Open champion outclassed the former world number four and won eight of the last nine games.
Top seed Djokovic converted six of 10 break points against Fritz as he moved closer to matching Nadal's record of 33 Masters titles.
The reigning Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open champion will face a last-eight meeting with Russian 10th seed Daniil Medvedev - who he beat on his way to victory in Melbourne in January and has not lost against in three meetings.
Medvedev, 23, continued his good form against Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas, winning 6-2 1-6 6-4 to extend to four victories his 100% record over the ATP Next Gen champion - who doubled faulted on match point.
German third seed Alexander Zverev and Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem - last year's French Open runner-up - suffered shock defeats in the third round.
Zverev was beaten 7-6 (8-6) 6-1 by Italian Fabio Fognini, while Thiem lost 6-3 6-3 to unseeded Serb Dusan Lajovic.
Italian 11th seed Marco Cecchinato was also knocked out after a 6-4 4-6 6-4 defeat by Argentina's Guido Pella, who goes on to meet Nadal.
First place in the initial phase group and an unbeaten record maintained, was secured courtesy of a 3-2 win in opposition to the no.9 seeds, the partnership formed by Anna Peters of the Netherlands and Ireland’s Sophie Earley. The player caused the Italians problems being Sophie Earley, she accounted for both Miriam Carnovale (11-3, 7-11, 11-3, 12-10) and Nicole Aria (11-9, 8-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7).
Tense moments to gain a main draw place, it was the very same against the no.5 seeds, the Greek partnership formed by Chrysi Fotiadu and Malamentinia Papadimitriou in the quest for a quarter-final reservation; a further 3-2 win was posted. The backbone of the victory was Nicole Aria. She accounted for Chrysi Fotiadu (11-6, 11-5, 11-6), before by the narrowest of decisions overcoming Malamentinia Papadimitriou (9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9). The stage set, Miriam Carnovale beat Chrysi Fotiadu (2-11, 12-10, 12-10, 14-12) to complete the victory.
One surprise first round place and according to seeding there were two more; the no.15 seeds, Russia’s Anastasiia Beresbova and Vlada Voronina recorded a 3-0 win against the combination of Bosnia-Herzegovina’s Dora Cosic and Poland’s Anna Brzyska, the no.4 seeds, to top their group. Meanwhile in an upset that was no upset at all, China’s Leng Yutong and Xu Yi secured the same margin of victory when facing to the top seeded partnership formed by Croatia’s Hana Arapovic and Puerto Rico’s Brianna Burgos.
Defeat for the top seeds but no such misfortune for the second seeds; Chinese Taipei’s Liu Ru-Yun and Tsai Yun-En duly secured first place in their initial phase group.
Play in the cadet girls’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
In the group phase of affairs, Leonardo Bassi and Federico Vallino Costassa recorded a 3-0 win in opposition to the no.10 seeds, the Czech Republic pairing of Daniel Kostal and Borek Otahal, to end matters unbeaten and thus in first place.
Success against the host nation duo was followed by success in opposition to the no.7 seeds, the Netherlands combination formed by Milo de Boer and Gabrelius Camara, a contest in which Leonardo Bassi excelled. He accounted for Milo de Boer (11-8, 5-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-3) and Gabrelius Camara (11-4, 4-11, 11-6, 11-8) to set the scene for Federico Vallino Costassa to be the hero of the hour. He duly obliged, in the vital fifth match of the engagement he sealed the victory with a four games win in opposition to Milo de Boer (11-13, 11-6, 12-10, 11-6).
Similarly, contrary to expectations, Soren Dreher and Vincent Senkbal secured first place, as did the no.14 seeds, the Russian outfit formed by Vladislav Bannikov, Aleksei Samokhin and Roman Vinogradov. Notably, Soren Dreher and Vincent Senkbal duly advanced directly to the quarter-finals, for the Russians, with Aleksei Samokhin resigned to the bench, it was a 3-1 opening round defeat at the hands of the no.6 seeds, Spain’s Daniel Berzosa and Miguel Angel Pantoja.
Surprise outcomes but not amongst the leading outfits; the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik, Ondrek Kveton and Martin Skotnica duly booked their quarter-final place without due alarm, as did the no.2 seeds, the Chinese selection formed by Tao Yuchang, Chen Yuanyu and Lin Shidong.
Play in the cadet boys’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
After both outfits had recorded 3-0 wins against the Czech trio formed by Anna Klempererova, Kristyna Penkavova and Lind Zaderova; the two teams met. China imposed its authority.
Winner of the junior girls’ singles title one day earlier, Zhang Xiaotong gave her team the perfect start by beating Elizabet Abraamaian (11-9, 11-7, 11-6), before Li Yuqi accounted for Anastasia Kolish (11-5, 11-13, 11-5, 11-7) to set the scene for Huang Yingqi to complete matters. She duly obliged, she overcame Olga Vishniakova (11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-2) to seal an emphatic victory.
Only first place in the group ensured progress to the quarter-finals. The “Lucky Loser” spots for finishing in runners up spot went to the Belgian contingent comprising Jana Bernard, Elodie Bossut, Estelle Duvivier and Awa Sow, alongside Sweden’s Jennie Edvinsson, Hanna Kjellson and Rebecca Muskantor; thus for the Russians, it was journey’s end.
An earlier than predicted exit for the top seeds, for the remaining outfits who started the day as to highest rated in their particular groups, it was success.
Three outfits very much attracted the attention. Poland’s Anna Wegrzyn, Katarzyna Wegrzyn and Aleksandra Michalak, the no.2 seeds, impressed as did the no.3 seeds, the German combination of Anastasia Bondareva, Sophia Klee. Similar to the no.6 seeds, the formation comprising Guatemala’s Lucia Cordero who lined up alongside India’s Swastika Ghosh and Manushree Patil, ended the day without conceding a single individual match.
All can proudly say they matched China! Play in the junior girls’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
They were tested by the Japanese combination of Hiroto Shinozuka, Hayate Suzuki and Jo Yokotani; a 3-1 win was the end result but two of those successes were by the minimal margin in the deciding game.
Hiroto Shinozuka gave his team the best possible start by beating Lev Katsman, (11-8, 11-4, 11-4), the highest rated player on duty in Spa, before Maksim Grebnev overcame Jo Yokotani (11-4, 9-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9) and Artem Tikhonov swayed the momentum in favour of Russia. He accounted for Hayate Suzuki in a further nail-biting contest (6-11, 11-4, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9). Stung by the earlier reverse, Lev Katsman returned to the table, in some style he ended matters by overcoming Jo Yokotani (11-9, 11-9, 11-6).
Success for the top seeds, it was also first places in the group phase for the other major medal contenders. The second seeds, the formation of Iran’s Amin Ahmadian and Radin Khayyam alongside India’s Manush Utpalbhai Shah and Raegan Alburquerque duly topped their group, as did the third seeded outfit formed by Austria’s Maciej Kolodziejczyk, Belgium’s David Cameliau and Serbia’s Dimitrije Levajac.
However, further down list there were surprise first places. The no.9 seeds, the Chinese Taipei trio formed by Feng Yi-Hsin, Huang Yan-Cheng and Li Hsin-Yu remained unbeaten, notably recording a 3-0 win against the no.7 seeds, Germany’s Kirill Fadeev, Daniel Rinderer and Kay Stumper.
Similarly, New Zealand’s Nathan Xu alongside Japan’s Takeru Kashiwa and Ryoichi Yoshiyama, the no.10 seeds, finished ahead of the no.8 seeds, the outfit comprising Canada’s Edward Ly, who joined forces with Gal Alguetti and Sharon Alguetti of the United States.
Play in the junior boys’ team competition concludes on Thursday 18th April.
I Dig® is a leading global brand that makes it more enjoyable to surf the internet, conduct transactions and access, share, and create information. Today I Dig® attracts millions of users every month.r
Phone: (800) 737. 6040
Fax: (800) 825 5558
Website: www.idig.com
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
